This Season of Giving, We’re Grateful for You 🎓
“The college years can be wonderful, but also can be challenging and unpredictable. As a mentor, I try to help my students navigate hurdles in their college journeys. Whatever the issue -- a challenging class or a roommate conflict -- I enjoy the opportunity to talk with students and try to find solutions so that their college experience can be as smooth as possible."
— Melanie Norall, RTE Mentor
Student Profiles: Evelyn Estrada-Perez
Evelyn Estrada-Perez
Paly, Class of 2024
Foothill College - Sociology
Q: What was your experience like going to Paly?
A: Evelyn: My experience at Paly was incredibly enriching. Learning new, academically challenging subjects each year was made easy by the amazing teachers at Paly, who crafted the curriculum and form of instruction that showcased their values as instructors. Some of my favorite classes were my history classes from my sophomore and junior years because my teachers taught and tested our learning through creative projects and summative writing assessments instead of multiple choice tests. This allowed my critical thinking skills to skyrocket and sparked my love for the social sciences. The child development classes I took at Paly were also some of my favorites. Being able to partake in fieldwork experiences at Greendell and Escondido Elementary Schools allowed me to take my learning to the next level in the best possible way and also drove my passion for working with children in the future.
Q: How did you first hear about RTE?
A: Evelyn: I first heard about RTE during my junior year of high school when I was walking past the College and Career Center. There was an RTE flyer underneath the scholarships bulletin board and I saw that they worked to support low-income, first-gen students, so I wrote the website down in my Notes app so I could remember to apply during my senior year. By the time senior year rolled around, I found out that completing only one scholarship application would allow me to apply to RTE and other scholarships like it, and I thought, “How amazing!”
Q: How has RTE impacted your life?
A: Evelyn: Besides financial and academic support— which I am incredibly grateful for— RTE has provided me with an immense amount of support on a more personal level. My mentor, Lisa Daly, cared about more than just my grades and financial matters— she cared about my emotional and physical well-being. She was constantly checking up on me throughout the year and provided a safe space for me to open up about what my first year of college was really like, which was more downs than ups. She was there for me throughout major life changes, consistently applauding me for my resilience, which is something I will never forget.
Q: Did any adults help/support you in the process of getting TO and THROUGH college? How?
A: Evelyn: As I’ve mentioned, Lisa has been one of my biggest supporters throughout my first year of college— I truthfully couldn’t have finished my first year without her always having my back in every decision I made. My counselor, Tilly Wu, and my work-study coordinator, Andrea Lara Galvan, also helped me a lot when I first started at Foothill. The first thing they both told me when I met them was that I belonged at Foothill and that there was nothing I couldn’t do. Lastly, my family was by far the biggest support system I had that ultimately helped me get to and through my first year. They are my rock. They helped keep me grounded and in the peaceful present when my mental health began to decline throughout my freshman year. They also supported me in every decision I made and made me feel safe amidst moments of chaos and confusion.
Q: What has college been like for you? Have you faced any challenges or had any notable successes?
A: Evelyn: I struggled a lot in my first year of college. It was more of a mental, emotional struggle rather than an academic one, but it made getting through this first year so much harder. Since the year began with a change of plans on what school I’d be attending, it was a bit chaotic for a while. Thankfully, I was able to get all the classes that I needed and even started looking into a tutoring job with EOPS. However, my mental health suffered a lot throughout my fall and winter quarters, which was something I was very open about with my mentor Lisa. With her guidance and the support of the people around me, things began looking up during my spring quarter! Although my first year was a lot more mentally and emotionally draining than I had anticipated, I am incredibly grateful for what I learned and how I grew despite my struggles. I learned to lean more on my faith in God and speak up about my struggles and embrace the support systems I had around me so I don’t have to be alone in them. I wouldn’t change a thing about my first year of college. I’m proud of myself for getting through such a difficult year and for advocating for myself when I needed to. Despite the many lows, there were definitely many highs as well, and I can’t wait to start my second year with a much more motivated, growth mindset!
Q: Where do you hope to transfer to from Foothill?
A: Evelyn: I hope to transfer to the same university as my twin sister! Martha and I have been through a lot together, much more than two young girls growing into young adults should ever have to go through. Right now, we are the only family we have left, so we might as well continue looking out for each other as our journey extends beyond Foothill. Staying closer to home is a bit more ideal for me, like Santa Clara University or UC Berkeley, but I definitely feel like Southern California is calling my name!
Q: What is your goal after college?
A: Evelyn: After college, I also plan on getting hands-on experience through internships, volunteer work, and hopefully jobs that allow me to explore my career interests further, whether that relates to working with children, the criminal justice system, community outreach, or case management. I also plan on obtaining my Master's degree in Social Work soon after college to become a social worker! I’m still figuring out what kind of field I want to work in, but I definitely want to work with children— whether that be through pediatric medical social work or juvenile justice.
The Driving Force: RTE President Tida Violante
Q: Tell us about your life growing up and what it was like attending Paly as a high school student yourself.
A: In 1980, I arrived in Palo Alto as a nine-year old child from Bangkok, Thailand, to live with my American father and family. I did not speak any English and he did not speak any Thai so it was a very lonely time and challenging time for me culturally. But at Green Gables Elementary School (now Duveneck), PAUSD provided me with a lovely English teacher, Alice Bulos. Mrs. Bulos pulled me out of my third grade classroom to teach me English and also American culture. Mrs. Bulos also taught my 9th grade English class. At Paly, I was the class president every year, rally commissioner and student body president, but I still always felt like an outsider. At that time, there was hardly any diversity in Palo Alto as a result of redlining. The Student Activity Director, Mrs. Bakken, a Chinese-American woman, helped guide me through the ups and downs of high school life. My early years in Thailand ingrained in me an awareness of economic disparity and cultural differences. My hope was that by my taking on leadership roles, my peers would have greater exposure to and appreciation for others with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. For example, we held candlelit vigils for MLK Day and had chopstick competitions with the football players.
Q: How did you first hear about RTE and what prompted you to get involved?
A: When I returned to live here in 2019, I was appalled by the lack of low-income housing, the existence of trailers everywhere and the huge wealth gap that has developed in this region in the past three decades of the growth of Silicon Valley. I saw middle school children with $200 designer t-shirts and I wondered what happened to the grounded Palo Alto that I knew growing up. I wondered how the working class survived here. My children enrolled in PAUSD so I heard about RTE in a Paly e-newsletter asking for volunteers.
Q: How did you make the transition from being a board member to leading the organization?
A: I have held leadership positions at other nonprofits. Academically, I have a doctorate degree in public health leadership and as a lifelong observer, I have very strong ideas about how to involve outsiders and how to change the direction of an organization. Initially, I came on board as the Secretary of the Board of Directors and saw the inner workings of the organization, and where things could be improved. That experience provided a roadmap for me to move over to lead the organization.
Q: What is the most challenging thing about running RTE?
A: We have no paid staff. As with any volunteer organization, it is often challenging to motivate volunteers and to recruit new ones!
Q: Why do you feel so passionately about the work that RTE does?
A: Although money does not buy happiness, it buys stability and peace of mind. I feel so fortunate to be financially secure now and that I did not have to go into steep debt to earn my college and graduate degrees. I want young people who work hard to feel some sense of financial stability that will free them to be the best learners they can be, and allow them to focus on their education instead of constantly worrying about money. The goal is to allow our scholars to be able to graduate on an almost equal footing to their Paly peers.
Q: How has RTE evolved under your leadership?
A: We have increased outreach to the general public, obtained multiple grants from foundations and established a documentation process using the Salesforce platform, so we have more data and evidence of our success. We are able to reach into our database and find college grads and get them involved with RTE. We have also incorporated life skills like networking and preparing for internship and job applications, as well as reinforcing a supportive community.
Q: What are your hopes for the organization in the future?
A: I hope that more former RTE scholars will become further involved in the organization and move it to the direction that they see fit. In addition, we currently have four board members who were RTE scholars. We have engaged them as panelists and workshop presenters and also to do outreach to current scholars. So many of them want to share their experiences with current college students to share their wisdom and challenges. This helps strengthen this community and makes it more welcoming and useful.
Q: What’s the one thing you want people to know about RTE?
A: As an all volunteer organization, 98% of the funds raised go directly to our college scholars who come from financially difficult circumstances. Some of these students are the hardest working people that I have ever met and they try their best to support themselves and their families with part-time job(s) and still manage to complete college courses! I am incredibly proud of them, almost as if they were my own children! It’s so gratifying to see them in their graduation gowns, knowing RTE supported them in reaching that important milestone!
Helping Scholars Learn Life Skills for Today’ Job Market
The Networking and Career Panel, organized by board member and RTE alum Brianna Moreno-Alcocer and held on November 9th, was an engaging event designed to give students practical, real-world guidance for beginning their professional journeys. Attended by RTE students from across graduating classes, mentors, and led by professionals with varied career backgrounds, the panel covered a wide range of topics including how to obtain internships, request recommendations from professors, and build confidence around networking, both on LinkedIn and in person. Speakers also discussed navigating anxieties around résumés, effective interviewing tips, and how to begin the job search. Through open conversation and candid insights, the event equipped attendees with the knowledge and encouragement needed to pursue opportunities and form meaningful connections.
Some quotes from our panelists are shown below:
"I speed applied to I think over 500 internships. On Handshake. I just interviewed and took what I could get because I think internships are a very exploratory phase. Which is the best time to try something that you might like or not. If it’s something you do not want to do it still creates diversity in your whole work path".
Sydney Schwan on the power of internships
"Sometimes I hate going on LinkedIn though, I don’t know if it's just me or anyone else but it's my depressive app because I see all the amazing things other people are doing and I tend to compare. But I ground myself… Don’t let it get to you just think about all the amazing things you will be doing later on”.
Zharit Brand Robles on comparing yourself with others
“As someone who is constantly nervous in any interaction, especially professional, I think the only way to get past that is to practice.Treating other things as a networking event can really help you get that practice. Sometimes I have to start off a conversation by mentioning that I am nervous in order to work past it".
Brooklyn Hutchison on networking anxiety
